Personal Leadership Application

Throughout my journey in life I, like many others, mistakenly assumed that the act of being a leader could be pulled off with a positive attitude, effort, a to-do list and a little bravado. However, Two experiences during High school swiftly proved me wrong and would forever shape the way that I view leadership and myself as a person. The thought of the debt associated with pursuing postsecondary education prompted me to form an organization dedicated to giving students an edge in the application process of scholarships. After a few weeks of spreading the word, I was joined by friends and like-minded individuals. My initial ambitions for the group were ineffective and seemed to be unaligned with the individual interest. As a result, I began to consciously make the effort to listen and adjust to the wants and needs of others. Through listening, I learned that the group’s collective thought process assumed that academic merit alone determined a student’s scholarship potential and chances of being accepted. Beyond listening, I searched for some way to offer value and benefit the group. As a result, I began to notice that even the most rigorous academic students lacked community service. My proposed was the Summer Reading Program that our local library held every year.
This year was beyond challenging. For, it was my first year of leadership and having to do so on both a micro and macro level. A lack of focus and clash of personal interest was holding the band back from gaining the competitive edge it needed over other successful programs. Acknowledging my many other shortcomings as a leader, I used my strength of listening to personally associate every individual member need and their unique role in helping the collective. To this end, I wanted to instill a group mindset that would enable future success for the years to